


Over the Moon

by gobuyastarwars



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Amusement Parks, Gen, My First Fanfic, Tried to make this fun but?, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28867767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gobuyastarwars/pseuds/gobuyastarwars
Summary: AU where Din and Grogu travel with Boba Fett and Fennec Shand for a time. The Mandalorian, Boba, Fennec, and Grogu stop to refuel and find an unpromising tourist attraction nearby– an amusement park. Din doesn't want to go into the amusement park, but Boba and Grogu do.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 35





	Over the Moon

It was beyond any of them what a rinky-dink theme park was doing on this spit glob of a moon in the Outer Rim.

The ramshackle theme park assuredly met no safety code, if such were a concern this far from the Core. Its rusted roller coaster and ferris wheel swayed with the wind against the pearl pink sky.

The rides were cobbled together out of ship and droid parts. It would have been a junkyard if not for the giant sign simply reading “THEME PARK” indicating otherwise.

Din Djarin spotted the theme park ahead and immediately thought: Safety hazard!

His son Grogu spotted the theme park ahead and–while one cannot be completely sure what Grogu is thinking at any time–probably thought: FUN!

Right on cue, Grogu clapped maniacally in delight. Din’s unease solidified.

“We’re not going there,” Din said immediately. “That park looks like it’ll collapse any second now.” It wasn’t safe and, besides, it’s not like the kid could meet any height requirements.

“Now, what’s wrong with a break? We’ll need to wait for fuel either way,” Boba Fett said.

The longer Din traveled with the other Mandalorian, the more he surprised Din. Din hadn’t known what he expected from Boba at that moment, but he certainly did not expect Boba to scoop Grogu up from the tram and head in the direction of the park.

Boba spared a backwards glance at Din before speaking conspiratorially to Grogu, “Uncle Boba will take you to the massive train in the sky.” 

“It’s called a roller coaster,” Fennec drawled, bored with Boba and Grogu’s mutiny against Din. She trailed behind Boba and ahead of Din. Din observed she kept enough speed out of knee jerk loyalty to Fett while hanging back just a tad because, really, what joy was there in going to a pitiful theme park?

“And that enormous wheel, you see that?” Boba said to Grogu.

“Ferris wheel,” Fennec commented joylessly behind Boba. She looked like she’d start shooting something– the world was just a casualty to Fennec’s boredom.

“This isn’t a game,” Din said as he caught up with Boba.

“Oh, but I’m sure there will be,” Boba said in hope, completely missing the point.

They passed through the park’s open gate. Though faded red cloth was draped around the park’s outer fencing, it looked like a stripped-down chicken wire fence that, at some points, remained a barbed wire fence.

Tinny carnival music wafted out of the park as well as the smell of frying monkey-lizards. The fact there was only music and no chatter indicated hardly anyone was in the park. No one was there except a few bored vendors who’d abandoned their food and prize stalls in favor of a game of Novacrown.

“Excuse me,” Boba said as he approached the vendors. “How can we get on the roller coaster?”

One vendor, a squat man who’s mustache dwarfed all other facial features, looked up, surprised. “That’ll cost ya.”

Cost them? To die on a ride that was on the verge of collapse? Din would have laughed, but he quickly said, “We don’t have money, thanks” just as Boba said, “We can pay.”

The Mandalorians cut glances at each other. Their facial expressions under the helmets didn’t matter. A universally understood message passed between the two: ‘Please shut up.’

The vendors froze, nervous. No one wanted to offend a Mandalorian. The rides creaked. The monkey-lizard sizzled. Somewhere- perhaps a toy stuffed animal or a toy blaster- fell to the ground with a defeated thud. Grogu cooed, thoroughly entertained.

Fennec, the only one positioned to offend one of the Mandalorians, broke the stalemate. It did not take a genius to know who she sided with.

With a sigh, she reiterated, “We can pay” and handed an indeterminate amount of coins to the mustachioed vendor.

The vendor nodded before leading them quickly to the roller coaster, for fear they might suddenly change their mind.

“Fett,” Din warned. Boba didn’t seem to hear him.

Din changed tactic. “The child can’t meet the height requirement,” he told the vendor as they climbed up the steps to the roller coaster streaked with swirls and stars, its paint chipped.

“Oh, we don’t have a height requirement, sir,”  
the vendor said. This was not the right answer, though the vendor clearly looked proud as if he’d delivered the right answer.

Boba clambered into one of the few grimy carriages. Fennec took the second carriage. There was a safety rail alright bolted by rusting screws. The safety rail might have been pure accessory.

Din did not get on.

“Think I’ll stay here,” he said. 

Boba shrugged, as Grogu bounced underneath the rail in excitement.

Din stood back as the vendor operated the coaster. The roller coaster creaked to life with an abominable roar. No one heard Din’s jet pack when he started it and hovered just above the ground, ready to take off too.

The roller coaster lurched before ambling up slowly to its first descent. The track was mostly bumpy inclines and declines that, Din observed with relief, weren’t that steep.

As the coaster rose to itsfirst, highest peak, so too did Din. At the tip top, Boba and Din exchanged glances again. A mutual understanding passed: both knew what they were doing.

The coaster descended.

Din flew in time with the coaster, parallel. As it swerved and the child squealed with glee, so too did Din. Maybe to Grogu a roller coaster was no different than flying with Din, but it didn’t hurt to stay close by. 

Din swooped and rose and swung along with the roller coaster. To the vendors watching the antics of the Mandalorian above, Din’s flying was probably as thrilling to them as the roller coaster was to Grogu. Din matched the position of the roller coaster so that at any given time if Grogu flung out, Din would be there to catch him.

Luckily, that never happened, and in the second and third round Grogu waved at Din when the roller coaster slowly climbed that big incline. 

After the third go-around, the coaster crawled to a halt by the platform. 

Grogu was excited enough to ride the roller coaster again, but Boba disembarked the ride. Behind him, Fennec unsteadily got to her feet. She swayed as if her legs had just been turned to jelly.

Boba promptly returned Grogu to Din’s arms. Grogu looked up at Din curiously, as if awaiting judgment, before beaming.

“Now that wasn’t too bad,” Boba remarked congenially.

Behind them, Fennec grunted in disagreement.

Din should have known Fett wouldn’t have allowed anything to happen to Grogu, but the anxiety had still been there.

Boba and Din bought sad ice pops that resembled soup for Fennec and Grogu. Fennec took Grogu and tried to sit down on one of the mismatched chairs in the little makeshift eating space by the vendors.

The chair broke, and Fennec migrated to a stool. The two set to eating their ice pop– or, rather, one stared at the ice pop disdainfully while the other slurped it down with gusto.

“I am not trying to undermine you,” Boba said. “I would not do that to a father. But I must say: let the little one experience the world.”

Din crossed his arms. “It’s my job to keep him safe.”

Though, of course, riding the roller coaster had turned out okay. 

Boba and Din watched companionably as Fennec and Grogu glared at each other. Grogu wanted to steal Fennec’s ice pop; one was not enough for him.

“It’s natural for a child to try out new things,” Fett said. He spoke breezily; Din did not feel like he was being talked down to or given advice. Fett might have been observing the color of the sky. They were facts, and facts were incontrovertible. “That’s what being a kid is all about. The empire tried to take that away from him. You brought it back.”

Grogu devoured Fennec’s ice pop immediately before quivering with brain freeze. Fennec watched placidly, without alarm. When the brain freeze passed, Grogu laughed.

“I know you feel even more cautious after the Empire took Grogu away,” Boba said.

Din uncrossed his arms. Fett didn’t need to bring this up. It was true Din was fighting a losing match– one he refused to give up on. That fact followed them everywhere like a shadow no matter how far they traveled. Grogu’s abduction had worsened Din’s persistent fear. That numbing stone of fear remained lodged in his heart.

“You protect the little one so he can keep his life,” Fett said. “Now let him live.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic for this fandom, so I'd appreciate any feedback! Thank you for reading!


End file.
